10 Best Hangover Prevention Supplements
Want to go out for drinks and prevent getting really bad hangovers in the morning?
Of course, you do!
Thankfully, you’re in luck because hangover supplements are designed to help you feel
better after a night of drinking.
But what exactly is a hangover prevention supplement?
Well, they contain natural ingredients which boost your livers' ability to break down alcohol
and neutralize the toxins produced.
With so many products available on the market nowadays, it can be hard to know which
one works the best. Especially as they come as pills, drinks and patches!
With this in mind…
We’ve rounded up some of the best-known hangover prevention supplements on the
the market right now.
The Best Hangover Prevention Supplements
7. DrinkAde Boost
Drink Ade is available in many department stores around the USA and is one of the first hangover drinks around.
Drink ade comes in two different versions. One is called boost and the other prevention. The main difference is that Drink Ade boost contains caffeine. Hence it’s designed to give you some extra energy in the morning.
How do hangover prevention supplements work?
“Hangover prevention supplement” is an umbrella term referring to products that are designed to support your liver in one or more various mechanisms:
- Support alcohol metabolism
- Boost antioxidant levels
- Maintain productivity the day after drinking
- Reduce the severity of hangover symptoms
- Now: a clarification. Hangover supplements are intended to help you reduce hangover
symptoms, not to cure them. That means, they are designed to support your existing hangover prevention efforts.
This should include, drinking less alcohol and making sure you keep well hydrated as well as avoiding drinking on an empty stomach.
How do you take Hangover supplements?
These supplements are somewhat different to the ones you may be taking already.
They are designed to be taken before and/or straight after drinking alcohol. That’s because the ingredients need to get to work while alcohol and its by-products are still in your system.
It’s important to stick to this dosing regime because they won’t work as well if taken in the morning after a big night out.
Best ingredients to look out for
Dihydromyricetin:
There’s a lot of hype around Dihydromyricetin because studies have shown it speeds up alcohol metabolism and reduces hangover symptoms.
That’s why most hangover supplements build their formulation around this ingredient.
Although it’s still early days, Dihydromyricetin has a promising future.
Prickly pear:
Prickly pear is the fruit of a cactus plant. It’s packed full of antioxidant polyphenols which
has been shown in studies to reduce inflammation.
In fact, it’s also been shown to reduce inflammation and hangover severity after drinking
alcohol.
Ginger:
Only a few of the best hangover prevention supplements contain ginger. It’s a well-known
anti-sickness remedy which can help with nausea when hungover.
B-vitamins:
The B complex vitamins including B1, B3 and B6 are all involved in the metabolism of the
food and drink we consume. That includes alcohol as well. These vitamins support your
body’s natural ability to process alcohol.
Korean Ginseng:
A traditional herbal remedy used in Asia to treat hangovers. And more recently it’s been
shown in studies to speed up alcohol metabolism.
Do hangover prevention supplements actually work?
It all depends on how you look at it. If you’re expecting to drink all night and wake up the next morning with no symptoms, then no. Hangover prevention is unlikely to make much difference in this circumstance.
We’ve mentioned before that hangover prevention supplements won’t completely mitigate the negative effects of alcohol. They are supplements designed to provide your body with the raw materials it needs to support recovery.
That means, at the very most, hangover prevention supplements will reduce the severity of hangover symptoms if drinking in moderation.
How to make the most of hangover prevention supplements
As we’ve said before, hangover prevention supplements aren’t magic cures. There are several key things you also need to do in order to prevent the worst hangovers.
The more you do, the more likely you are to have up feeling human:
Stick to lighter colored drinks
Darker colored drinks contain higher concentrations of congeners. These are naturally occurring by-products of the alcohol fermentation process and studies have shown they make hangovers more severe. That’s why drinks such as red wine, whiskey and bourbon give the worst hangovers.
Eat before you go out
Arguably one of the most underrated hangover prevention tactics, eating before drinking alcohol is crucial. The reason is, food in your stomach slows down how fast alcohol is absorbed. Therefore, reducing blood alcohol concentration spikes.
Drink water with rehydration salts
You can supercharge your water by adding rehydration salts. These salts facilitate rapid and efficient hydration. At the end of your night, try taking your hangover prevention supplement with a large glass of water mixed with rehydration salts to get the most benefit.
Avoid caffeinated mixers
Sleep disturbance is one of the causes of a hangover and It’s something that hangover prevention supplements aren’t going to help with. Therefore, making sure you get a goods nights sleep is crucial for optimum recovery. Having caffeine flowing through your system while you try to sleep is far from ideal. That’s why avoiding caffeinated mixers such as red bull or coca cola with your chosen spirit is important.
Who should use hangover prevention supplements?
We all know that hangovers get worse as we get older. Having even a few drinks with your evening meal can you leave you feeling rough in your 40’s and above.
Taking all the usual precautions like drinking water, eating before going out and sticking to lighter colored drinks as mentioned above just don’t work as much when we’re older.
This is where hangover supplements come into play. They are designed for those of us who need something a little extra alongside the standard hangover prevention routines we follow.
In combination with sensible alcohol consumption, hangover prevention supplements can make a positive difference in how you feel the next day.
Which type of hangover prevention works best?
Whether you decide to go for a hangover prevention drink, pill or patch, it’s the ingredients that matter most. If you take a closer look at the ingredients lists, hangover prevention pills and drinks usually provide higher amounts of nutrition than patches.
The other thing to consider when choosing which hangover prevention supplement to invest in is convenience. Would you rather take a few pills at the end of a night, have another drink, or slap on a patch. Ultimately, it all comes down to personal preference.
Hangover supplement side effects
Many people ask whether hangover prevention supplements have side effects, and it’s a good question. Having peace of mind that the supplement you’re planning to take is effective and - more importantly - safe, is a vital part of making a purchase.
The supplements mentioned in this review are all made from natural ingredients and side effects are uncommon. That’s because they are made up of vitamins minerals and traditional herbal extracts which are regarded as safe to take.
However, everyone is different and may experience a reaction to certain ingredients. So it’s always important to read the formula labels to make sure you don’t have any allergies or intolerances.
In conclusion
There you have our pick of the best hangover prevention supplements on the market right now.
It’s important that you invest time and effort in researching supplements before choosing to take one.
It’s also important for us to mention that hangover prevention supplements are not magic cures. They are designed to support your body during periods of overindulgence and may help reduce some of your symptoms.
If you drink way above your limits, you’re going to wake up with a bad hangover, even if you’ve taken one of the products reviewed in this article.
With that said, the top spot goes to AfterDrink hangover supplement - one of the most popular around.
